Atlético Ottawa won its first match of the 2026 Canadia Premier League season away to FC Supra du Québec in Montréal.
This was the first clash between Atleti and CPL newcomers Supra, with Diego's side earning the inaugural bragging rights.
Supra's homecoming party was spoiled in the final minutes of the match as local defender Tye Durhaney-Walker scored his first professional goal in his 50th Atleti appearance.
Read all the quotes below as Diego kicked off with a message about Forge captain Kyle Bekker...
On Kyle Bekker:
On behalf of Atlético Ottawa, I want to send our full support to Kyle Bekker. He's one of the best players in the history of this league. This is a hard moment, and beyond any rivalry, there are things that are bigger than football. We wish him a full and speedy recovery, and today I think that we are all on the same side.
On atmosphere at Supra:
I am a coach who always tries to tell the truth. The environment is incredible, the team is incredible, the brand is incredible, the stadium - we are in CPL - and it's incredible. But didn't have any privacy before the match, children were running through the locker room. Those are things we need to solve. Talking just about the pitch and the stands, it's fantastic. I want to come back and play more games in this environment.
On the quality of Supra:
We are the only proactive team in this league. Last season, we had more possession than the opponent in almost all the matches. I would like to play with the ball all the time. Supra has very good players. They defended really well in the first match. We knew we were going to suffer in transitions, because that's the way I choose to suffer in games, because I like to live on the ball. I think Supra is a good team that will get some good results this season.
On the first half battle:
We suffered in the transitions. We play a few passes, make some bad decisions, which makes us come back and run. All the actions we suffered in the first half were transitions. They have very good players. Supra is a good team.
On Garissone Innocent:
Garissone [Innocent] arrived here to be the starting goalkeeper. He suffered two injuries in pre-season. He is here because we believe in him.
On Atleti plaforming young Canadian talent:
I always tell my boys that they don't need to be tough with themselves. They need to give another opportunity. Finally, as a pro soccer player or a high permonace players, you must always think you will have another chance. It's a good moment for (goalscorer) Tyr [Duhaney-Walker] because he's a young guy who is improving a lot. I am happy for him.
On the road support and next week's Home Opener:
We miss our fans, we miss our stadium, we miss the sun! We need to play one match with the sun, please. I hope that next Sunday we are going to play in the best environment in this league.
